As the prominence of both UMass Amherst and Forward Progress continue to grow, their remarkable relationship remains the same.
Mark H. McCormack Department of Sports Management at UMass Amherst has one of the largest alumni networks within the sport industry. “The McCormack Family” features more than 3,000 sport and entertainment industry professionals that have graduated from their program, many of which work in collegiate athletics. Two notable alumni of UMass’ Sport Management program are John Shukie and Maricela Oceguera Shukie, the founders of Forward Progress, both of whom received a M.S in Sport Management. The impact of the program for John and Maricela quickly became evident when entering the sport industry following their graduation. When asked to reflect on how UMass helped their careers in the sport industry after their time on campus, Maricela mentions:
At UMass, I learned so much from the classroom. But what I cherish most is the relationships built with my classmates. In the 20 years since we graduated the MS program, I have worked with a majority of the class. I am tremendously grateful for the people I met at UMass.”
Because the UMass program has so positively impacted John and Maricela’s work, they continue to give back to their alma mater by expanding the McCormack Family year by year. Since Forward Progress was founded in 2013, they have utilized seven interns from UMass’ Sport Management program. These interns have gone on to work for organizations such as the Denver Broncos, University of Nevada, Belmont University, Central Michigan University and Texas Tech University following their internships. Nathaniel Easton, former Forward Progress intern and UMass MBA/MS graduate, is now a PhD student in the UConn School of Business. Nathaniel credits his experience with Forward Progress by saying,
My internship affirmed my desire to become a college professor and spend my career in a college campus helping folks maximize their potential and find their passion.”
A great contributor to the relationship between UMass and Forward Progress has been Emily Must, who holds the position of Director of Internships at UMass. When asked about her experience working with Forward Progress, Emily said:
My experience has been excellent. They always provide students with top notch assignments, take the time to explain things, and give students interested in college athletics a unique point of view. I value these relationships because I know John and Cela take great care and interest in the interns and provide a unique NCAA experience.”
The Forward Progress internship program has also given students the opportunity to take what they learn from working with Forward Progress and bring those experiences into the classroom at UMass. Former intern Brendan Clark credits Forward Progress for his development:
As a part of the team, I was given a great deal of freedom to tackle items in a way that worked best for me. Whether it was working on academic data or social media content, there were a lot of opportunities to grow experientially.”
In addition to the things Brendan learned how to do physically as an intern, it was the people that surrounded him at Forward Progress that he praised the most. Brendan goes on to mention,
The greatest asset that I gained and learned about while at Forward Progress… relationships.”
Since the very beginning of John and Maricela’s work within the sport industry, the relationships and knowledge gained at UMass have had a positive impact on their careers. As a means of repaying those benefits, the two have given back to the Sport Management program by providing UMass students with internship opportunities at Forward Progress. Forward Progress’ internship program has provided valuable experiences in collegiate athletics and offers its interns the ability to access a network of college athletics professionals. When asked about the relationship between Forward Progress and UMass, Sport Management Department Head Steve McKelvey state:
By far and away the strength of the McCormack sport management program is the support and commitment of our alumni. We have alums in all segments of the sport and entertainment industry, and one of our richest alumni roots lies in college athletics. What makes our alumni network so powerful is their willingness to give back to our current students by providing internships and special projects, by serving as mentors, and by speaking in our classrooms.”
